A man from Ndwedwe, KwaZulu-Natal, received a life sentence from the Durban High Court for the murder of his wife, Nwabisa Mgandela, who was 31 years old at the time of the crime. The court has decided that Bhekukwanda Ian Cele is responsible for the death of his wife, which occurred in June of 2020. The court heard evidence indicating the couple’s marriage had been troubled at some point, and that Cele had moved out of the family home only a few weeks before Mgandela was killed.
Mgandela remained at home in order to look after the children. On the night of the murder, Cele and several other individuals who have not yet been identified as suspects went back to the home where he and his wife lived and viciously assaulted and strangled Cele’s wife with a rope.
She was led to the bathroom, where she sat in the bathtub while the rope was wrapped around her neck and the other end was fastened to the rafters in the ceiling. The court was informed that Mgandela passed away as a result of his wounds while the trial was ongoing. After attacking Cele’s wife, the strange men fled with Cele, taking his wife with them. The following day, he was hauled into custody for questioning.
State Prosecutor Advocate Gugu Xulu argued that Cele and his friends had carried out their actions in service of a common objective throughout the entirety of the court procedures. In court, members of Mgandela’s family testified about the continuing anguish they have as a result of his passing away. Concerns regarding Cele have also been voiced by other members of the family.
The provincial spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, expressed optimism that the metered sentence would send a message to others. One of our primary priorities is putting an end to the widespread problem of violence against women and femicide. We wish to express our gratitude to the Prosecution and the SAPS for their hard work in bringing about this conviction,” Ramkisson-Kara continued.
